You may have read my earlier post on the cardboard bicycle that was being developed by Izhar Gafni and his new company Cardboard Technologies. Back when I wrote that post, Mr. Gafni was moving forward on the presumption that he could make his bicycle for $20. That may very well still be his goal, but [...]

You may have read my earlier post on the cardboard bicycle that was being developed by Izhar Gafni and his new company Cardboard Technologies. Back when I wrote that post, Mr. Gafni was moving forward on the presumption that he could make his bicycle for $20. That may very well still be his goal, but if you would like to get in on the action today, that same bicycle is going to cost you $95 + $40 for shipping and handling. A bit steeper than the original stated price of $20.

But, consider this. Cardboard Technologies needs facilities to produce these bikes and their lofty goal of $2,000,000 on IndieGogo is intended to use crowd funding to get them to their goal. With 34 days left and $1,970,354 to go, it seems that they have their work cut out for them.

Personally, I would love to see this company take off. I think that the concept and unique use of materials is an interesting combination and would love to see the idea of a bicycle made of inexpensive materials be readily available to those that need it. If you think about the number of people that need access to cheap transportation and don’t have the means to maintain an automobile, this would be a great solution.

Check out the IndieGogo page below if you are interested in contributing to this game changing technology.

Forget carbon fiber. The next bike that you ride on may be made of cardboard. An Israeli inventor, Izhar Gafni, is moving closer to mass producing his cardboard bicycle. 18 months of development has led Izhar to discovering a ground breaking bicycle design. Once in the market, it will sell for close to $20 and weigh [...]

Baz Ratner / Reuters

Forget carbon fiber. The next bike that you ride on may be made of cardboard. An Israeli inventor, Izhar Gafni, is moving closer to mass producing his cardboard bicycle. 18 months of development has led Izhar to discovering a ground breaking bicycle design. Once in the market, it will sell for close to $20 and weigh close to 20 pounds. 65% lighter than most metal bikes. The tires are made of reconstituted rubber and the ‘chain’ is a car timing belt.

How will it hold up in weather being made of cardboard? According to Gafni,

“Once the shape has been formed and cut, the cardboard is treated with a secret concoction made of organic materials to give it its waterproof and fireproof qualities. In the final stage, it is coated with lacquer paint for appearance.”

All in all, this makes for a truly ground breaking design and something that I am interested in looking at more closely once it comes to market. Check out the video of Izhar constructing the bicycle below.

UPDATE: More pictures of the bike and a link to Izhar Gafni’s Cardboard Technology website.